Start whistling ‘The Great Escape’ theme tune or watch ‘The Italian Job’: Manchester United’s Champions League mission impossible against holders Bayern Munich has grounds for optimism.
No chance is what many people believe United have when they travel to face Bayern tomorrow night, David Moyes’ side having already been written off despite their creditable 1-1 draw in the first leg at Old Trafford.
It is thought that Bayern’s superior squad won’t misfire like they did at Old Trafford and will dominate United at the Allianz Arena.
However, there is no reason for United fans to give up hope as Bayern can be beaten and United should go to Germany with plenty of belief they can somehow move, in one of their most morale-sapping seasons in years, into the semi-finals.
First, the most obvious area where United can overcome the European champions is taking advantage of the suspensions picked up at Old Trafford.
Javi Martinez and Bastian Schweinsteiger will both miss the second leg and their presence will be severely missed.
Schweinsteiger broke up United’s counter attacking threat last week by applying pressure to Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick.
While Martinez managed to cope with Danny Welbeck’s pace when United made a rare trip to that end of the pitch.
Bayern though do have strength in depth within their squad which allows them to cover for these situations and Dante, an ever present in the team, will return at the back after missing the first leg through suspension.
Some say this will actually strengthen Bayern’s defence but the Brazilian’s return could be a blessing in disguise for United.
Dante and Jerome Boateng as a pairing looked vulnerable in their previous meetings against English opposition in the Champions League this season.
They look especially vulnerable on the counter attack something Arsenal and Manchester City managed to exploit at the Allianz Arena where both teams managed to find the back of the net.
United used that tactic in the first leg but Welbeck was well watched by Martinez and United’s midfield was well shut off by Schweinsteiger.
So with two vital cogs in Bayern’s engine room missing, United could have much more success in Munich playing on the break.
Schweinsteiger’s absence will allow players such as Rooney, Carrick and Shinji Kagawa more time on the ball to create opportunities for United’s quick players like Antonio Valencia, Welbeck and Javier Hernandez.
If they can take these chances and not waste them like they did in at Old Trafford, when Welbeck missed a golden opportunity to give United a first-half lead, there is every chance that Moyes’ side will score in Munich, something they must do if they are to qualify.
This leads on to the second area where United can overcome the Germans: exploiting Bayern’s lack of patience.
This was an area which looked suspect at Old Trafford and was highlighted by Schweinsteiger’s red card and Pep Guardiola’s post-match reaction.
United’s park the bus mentality was clearly frustrating Bayern’s ‘perfect football’ approach last week as they struggled to create clear goal-scoring opportunities.
Arjen Robben described Moyes’ tactics as something usually seen on a handball court, a reference not too many English people will understand but United should see it as a compliment.
The Dutch winger’s frustration with United’s tactics is what they want and receiving such an insult shouldn’t embarrass them.
In 2012 Chelsea carried out the ‘handball tactics’ and what happened then?
They won the Champions League, beating teams such as Barcelona en route with a squad which, like United’s this season, was being constantly written off.
In the final Chelsea played Bayern and again Robben and Franck Ribery, like they did last week, struggled to deal with the defensive tactics Roberto Di Matteo employed.
After the first leg Guardiola complained about English clubs’ defensive tactics in Europe, once again clearly showing his frustration.
It probably reminded him of when, as Barcelona manager, he was defeated by that Chelsea side in 2012 over two legs.
Moyes needs to stick to his guns and continue to park the bus and not be drawn to changing his method by Guardiola and Robben’s comments.
Bayern will try to entice United forward as they know a 0-0 draw sends the Germans through, but if United go out and attack they will be exploited by Guardiola’s side.
Therefore, they need to make sure they remain disciplined especially until half-time.
This will frustrate the perfectionist in Guardiola who won’t want to qualify through a 0-0 draw and will seek to win the match, allowing United a chance to exploit Bayern on the break.
The last way United can overcome Bayern is by dropping Marouane Fellaini.
The Belgian was the only United player not to come out from last week’s game with glowing praise, the midfielder again putting in a clumsy performance as he often gave the ball while his persistent fouling gifted Bayern goalscoring opportunities.
He was also at fault for Bayern’s equaliser, by failing to track down Schweinsteiger’s run when he allowed the midfielder an easy chance to score.
Still, United came away relatively unscathed at Old Trafford though in Germany they won’t be able to get away with it as Bayern will take advantage.
This means Fellaini needs to be dropped and United should instead replace him with Darren Fletcher, who has a much wiser footballing brain and better discipline than the Belgian.
Fletcher will also provide leadership and fight as well as his renowned big game pedigree, which might just turn the tie in United’s favour.
Stranger things have happened.
Main image courtesy of Jason Cairnduff/Action Images, with thanks.
